Welding finger cot and hand guard

ABSTRACT

The welding finger cot is formed from a single sleeve of a fire retardant material. The sleeve is of a predetermined length and diameter. By folding and inverting the ends of the sleeve in a specific manner, a finger receiving portion and an adjustable tail portion are formed. The user inserts a gloved finger into the finger receiving portion, and then pulls on the adjustable tail portion so as to adjust the same to a desired length. The finger cot with extended adjustable tail portion allows the user to rest or stabilize their hand on a hot surface during a welding operation.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority from U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 62/250,772 filed on Nov. 4, 2015.

BACKGROUND

Technical Field

The present principles relate to welding. More particularly, it relatesto a finger cot for using during welding.

Related Art

Those of skill in the welding trade will appreciate that the steadinessof their hands (and tools) during the welding operation is paramount toproviding top quality welds and welding services. Due to the high heatenvironment associated with welding, the use of gloves during weldingoperations is very common.

Often times, these gloves are marketed and presented as being heatresistant, however the same is not entirely true. Depending on theparticular welding operation, it is common for the user to rest one handon a stationary, often times, very hot workpiece in order to secure thesteadiness required for the particular weld. In other instances, theproximity of the user's gloved hand to a hot welding arc or hot weldingsurface can be dangerous. Unfortunately, the gloves used for these typesof welding operations cannot withstand this type of prolonged exposureto such heat, and often burn through the gloves, or otherwise cause toomuch discomfort to the user that a proper stable weld operation cannotbe performed.

As such, it is an aspect of the present invention to provide a fingercot for welding gloves that overcomes the shortfalls of the use ofgloves alone.

SUMMARY

According to an implementation, the welding finger cot includes a fingerreceiving portion and a tail portion extending from said fingerreceiving portion. A user inserts a gloved finger into the fingerreceiving portion and pulls the tail portion to a desired length. Thefinger cot being positioned between the user's gloved finger and a highheat area or surface.

According to another implementation, the welding finger cot includes asleeve having a first end, a second end and a central portion. Thesecond end is folded into itself one or more times to create a firstrounded end. The first end is folded over onto itself one or more timesto create a second rounded end, and the folded over first end is againfolded over onto itself into the central region to form a fingerreceiving portion. The remaining portion of the sleeve and the secondend form an adjustable tail portion.

According to another implementation, a method for creating a weldingfinger cot includes providing a sleeve having a first end, a second endand a central portion. The second end is then folded into itself one ormore times to create a first rounded end. The first end is folded overonto itself one or more times to create a second rounded end. Then thefolded over first end is further folded over onto itself into thecentral region to form a finger receiving portion with a remainingportion of the sleeve and the second end forming an adjustable tailportion.

These and other aspects, features and advantages of the presentprinciples will become apparent from the following detailed descriptionof exemplary embodiments, which is to be read in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present principles may be better understood in accordance with thefollowing exemplary figures, in which:

FIGS. 1-5 are schematic diagrams of the assembly of the welding fingercot, according to one implementation of the present principles;

FIG. 6-9 are schematic diagrams of the assembly of the welding fingercot, according to a preferred implementation of the present principles;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are plan views of the welding finger cot with leatherinsert, according to an implementation of the present principles;

FIG. 12 is a plan view of the welding finger cot with a strap, accordingto an implementation of the present principles;

FIG. 13 is a plan view of the welding finger cot after being assembledand before placement on a finger, according to an implementation of thepresent principles;

FIG. 14 is a plan view of the welding finger cot positioned on a user'sfinger, over the welding glove, according to an implementation of thepresent principles;

FIG. 15 is a plan view showing the adjustment of the welding finger cotaccording to an implementation of the present principles;

FIG. 16 is a plan view of the welding finger cot from the palm side ofthe user's hand, according to an implementation of the presentprinciples;

FIG. 17 is a side view of the welding finger cot as applied to theuser's middle finger, according to an implementation of the presentprinciples;

FIG. 18 is plan viewing showing an example of the welding finger cot inuse during a welding operation, according to an implementation of thepresent principles;

FIG. 19 is another plan view showing the welding finger cot positionedon the pinky of the user, according to another implementation of thepresent principles;

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing another example of the welding finger cotin use during a welding operation, according to an implementation of thepresent principles; and

FIG. 21 is a plan view of a TIG welding operation showing the weldingfinger cot in use, according to an implementation of the presentprinciples.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present principles are directed to welding operations, and moreparticularly to a welding finger cot to be used during weldingoperations.

The present description illustrates the present principles. It will thusbe appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to devisevarious arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shownherein, embody the present principles and are included within its spiritand scope.

All examples and conditional language recited herein are intended forpedagogical purposes to aid the reader in understanding the presentprinciples and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to furtheringthe art, and are to be construed as being without limitation to suchspecifically recited examples and conditions.

Moreover, all statements herein reciting principles, aspects, andembodiments of the present principles, as well as specific examplesthereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functionalequivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalentsinclude both currently known equivalents as well as equivalentsdeveloped in the future, i.e., any elements developed that perform thesame function, regardless of structure.

In the claims hereof, any element expressed as a means for performing aspecified function is intended to encompass any way of performing thatfunction including, for example, a) a combination of circuit elementsthat performs that function or b) software in any form, including,therefore, firmware, microcode or the like, combined with appropriatecircuitry for executing that software to perform the function. Thepresent principles as defined by such claims reside in the fact that thefunctionalities provided by the various recited means are combined andbrought together in the manner which the claims call for. It is thusregarded that any means that can provide those functionalities areequivalent to those shown herein.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” ofthe present principles, as well as other variations thereof, means thata particular feature, structure, characteristic, and so forth describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the present principles. Thus, the appearances of the phrase “in oneembodiment” or “in an embodiment”, as well any other variations,appearing in various places throughout the specification are notnecessarily all referring to the same embodiment.

Specific references to materials used throughout the specification areonly many to illustrate by way of example the principles of theinvention. The invention is adaptable and useable with any of the manymaterials used for glove manufacturing known in the art and any of themany glove types in the art.

FIG. 1-5 show the assembly or folding process for the welding finger cot10 according to an embodiment of the invention.

Initially we start off with a highly heat resistant material such as,for example, fiberglass sleeve 12 of a predetermined length (e.g., 15inches) and a predetermined diameter (e.g., 2.5 inches). By way offurther example, the material the finger cot is made of can include,silica, silicone, para-aramid (KEVLAR®), meta-aramid (NOMEX®), carbonfiber, including oxidized, thermally stabilized polyacrylonitrile fiber,modacrylic, leather, aluminized materials, flame resistance, flameretardant, or fire resistance enhanced cotton, wool, polyester, nylon,lyocell, viscose, or any other common fiber or blend, polybenzimidzole,or any blend of the above listing of fibers. The ends 14 and 16 ofsleeve 12 are often frayed and can be glued, cauterized or any othermethod implemented to prevent further fraying of the same. Those ofskill in the art will appreciate that the length and diameter of thesleeve 12 can be modified depending on a desired application or otherfactors. Examples of such sizes can be, for example, the overall lengthof the sleeve 12 before any assembly begins can be in a range of 10-94cm. This accounts for any stretch in different materials and for thedifferent combinations of the head (finger receiving portion) and thetail (adjustment portion) that may need to be produced for differentcustomer needs. Likewise, an inner diameter of the sleeve 12 measured asan open circle will range from 2-8 cm. Those of skill in the art willappreciate that if the tube is flattened before such diametermeasurement, the diameter will be longer. As such, are more accuratemeasurement can be the inner circumference of the sleeve which can be ina range of 6-25 cm.

The end 16 is then folded over into itself at ¾ to 1 inch intervals 18,1 to 4 times, thus creating a rounded or smooth transition end 20. Thenext step is to take the opposite end and invert the sleeve into itself,as shown by the arrows in FIG. 2 and the result shown in FIG. 3. Nextthe end 14 is pulled through the sleeve (as indicated by the arrow inFIG. 3) so it comes out the other side (FIG. 4). Once end 14 extendsbeyond the end 20, the ends folded over into itself approximately ¾-1inch 1 to 4 times, which will help prevent fraying and adds to therigidity of the overall finger cot. The finally assembled welding fingercot is shown in FIG. 5 with a larger portion 32 and the adjustmentportion 30.

FIGS. 6-9 show another more preferred method for folding the weldingfinger cot 10 according to an implementation of the present principles.In a first step, the end 16 is folded into itself one or two times at asmall ¼-½ inch to create the rounded end 20. The opposing end 14 is thenfolded over itself (FIG. 8) one or two times to create another roundedend 80. The folded over portion which is end 80 is then again foldedover itself a predetermined amount to create the finger receivingportion 32 and the tail portion 30. As shown in FIG. 9, the fingerreceiving portion 32 has a length X and the tail portion has a length Y.Those of skill in the art will appreciate that these lengths can bedifferent depending on the particular applicant and/or need by the user.According to one implementation, the length X of the finger receivingportion 32 is in a range of 2-18 cm, while the length Y of the tailportion can be in a range of 0-40 cm.

As will be appreciated from FIGS. 5 and 9, there is no requirement thatthe finger receiving portion 32 be larger than the tail/adjustmentportion 30, depending on the particular use. In fact, depending on theuse application, sometimes the finger receiving portion 32 will belarger or longer than the tail portion 30, and other times, the tailportion 30 will be larger or longer than the finger receiving portion.

FIGS. 10-11 show another implementation of the welding finger cot 100according to an implementation of the present principles. As shown, aleather insert 50 is configured to be received into the opening at theend 20 of the tail 30. The leather insert 50 is inserted into the tail30 and thereby provides increased heat resistance of the tail portion30.

FIG. 12 shows another implementation of the welding finger cot 110according to the present principles. In this implementation, a label ortag 55 is provided on the tail portion 30, and a strap 60 is freelythreaded through the label which acts to hold the strap 60 onto thesame. The strap 60 has opposing ends that are configured to wrap aroundthe user's gloved hand and be secured to each other with any known means(e.g., hook and loop fastener, etc.). The strap 60 will wrap around theuser's wrist and operate to keep the tail portion 30 of the finger cotin a desired position on the user's hand during use and maintain suchposition during use.

FIG. 13 shows an example of the fiberglass welding finger cot completelyassembled as described above from either embodiment. The finger cot isnow ready for use, where the user will insert one of their glovedfingers into the end 20 such that the adjustment portion 30 extendstherefrom, as shown in FIG. 14. Once the finger cot is positioned on theuser's selected finger, the adjustment portion 30 is pulled (see FIG.15) to extend the same to a desired length. FIG. 16 shows what the palmside of the user's hand looks like with the finger cot positioned ontheir middle finger where portion 32 completely surrounds the same. FIG.17 shows the adjustment portion or tail 30 extended. Those of skill inthe art will appreciate that the finger cot of the present principleswill be used primarily on the pinky finger, ring finger or both at thesame time.

FIG. 18 shows on example of how the finger cot is used to allow the userto rest on a surface 100. Those of skill in the art will recognize thatit is not often a vertical surface adjacent a welding operation is a hotsurface, however certain types of welding operations (e.g., P10 welding)may have such limitations. As such, the user wearing the finger cot ofthe present principles will then be able to use the surface 100 to helpstabilize their hand during the welding operation.

FIGS. 19 and 20 show another embodiment where the finger cot ispositioned on the pinky of the user such that adjustment or tail portion30 extends along the outer portion of the user's hand. This allows theuser to rest their hand on a hot object or workpiece 102, without havingto worry about heat or burning due to the insufficiency of the weldinggloves. The tail portion 30 will not only allow the user to stabilizetheir hand on the hot surface, it will also allow them to drag theirhand along the hot surface, thereby allowing the user to maintain bothcontinuity and stability during the weld, regardless of the nearby hotsurface.

FIG. 21 shows an example of a TIG welding application using a TIG torch1000. TIG welders wear very thin gloves because they need a high levelof dexterity for this precision type of welding. However, as will beappreciated, thin gloves do not offer enough heat insulation in manysituations, which is where the welding finger cot of the presentinvention is most applicable. As such, TIG welders can use the weldingfinger cot of the present principles to cover both their ring finger andpinky at the same time, and the tail will protect the edge of the users'hand as shown.

As shown, the welder wearing the finger cot of the present principleswould benefit from the added heat insulation all along the edge of thehand where it meets the hot welding surface, indicated by point 1003.The finger receiving portion 32 would operate to protect the user'sfingers closest to the hot welding arc near the tip 1001 of the TIG1000, as well as in the vicinity 1002 near the same, while the tailportion 30 operates to insulate the edge of the user's hand as it restson the hot surface at point 1003.

These and other features and advantages of the present principles may bereadily ascertained by one of ordinary skill in the pertinent art basedon the teachings herein.

Although the illustrative embodiments have been described herein withreference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that thepresent principles is not limited to those precise embodiments, and thatvarious changes and modifications may be effected therein by one ofordinary skill in the pertinent art without departing from the scope orspirit of the present principles. All such changes and modifications areintended to be included within the scope of the present principles asset forth in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A welding finger cot comprising: a fingerreceiving portion and an tail portion extending from said fingerreceiving portion; wherein a user inserts a gloved finger into thefinger receiving portion and pulls the tail portion to a desired length,said finger cot being positioned between the user's gloved finger and ahigh heat area or surface.
 2. The welding finger cot according to claim1, wherein said finger receiving portion and said tail portion areformed from a single sleeve structure folded into itself to form saidportions.
 3. The welding finger cot according to claim 1, wherein saidtail portion is positioned between the user's hand and a hot surfacesuch that the user can place their gloved hand with the tail portion onthe hot surface during a welding operation.
 4. The welding finger cotaccording to claim 2, wherein the single sleeve structure has an overalllength, prior to assembly, in a range of 10 cm-94 cm and an innercircumference in a range of 6 cm-25 cm.
 5. The welding finger cotaccording to claim 1, wherein the high heat area can be generated by anarc weld in an arc welding operation, and the finger portion of saidfinger cot operates to protect the users hand from the high heatgenerated by such arc welding operation.
 6. The welding finger cotaccording to claim 1, wherein the finger receiving portion and the tailportion are formed a sleeve having a first end, a second end and acentral portion; wherein the second end is folded into itself one ormore times to create a first rounded end; the first end is folded overonto itself one or more times to create a second rounded end; and thefolded over first end is again folded over onto itself into the centralregion to form said finger receiving portion with a remaining portion ofsaid sleeve and said second end forming said tail portion
 7. A weldingfinger cot comprising: a sleeve having a first end, a second end and acentral portion; wherein the second end is folded into itself one ormore times to create a first rounded end; the first end is folded overonto itself one or more times to create a second rounded end; and thefolded over first end is again folded over onto itself into the centralregion to form a finger receiving portion with a remaining portion ofsaid sleeve and said second end forming an adjustable tail portion. 8.The welding finger cot according to claim 7, wherein once the fingerreceiving portion is placed on a user's gloved finger, said adjustabletail portion is pulled to a desired length.
 9. A method for creating awelding finger cot comprising: providing a sleeve having a first end, asecond end and a central portion; folding the second end into itself oneor more times to create a first rounded end; folding the first end overonto itself one or more times to create a second rounded end; andfolding the folded over first end onto itself into the central region toform a finger receiving portion with a remaining portion of said sleeveand said second end forming an adjustable tail portion.
 10. The methodaccording to claim 9, further comprising inserting a gloved finger of auser into the finger receiving portion; and pulling on the adjustabletail portion to adjust a length of the same to a desired length.